Friday Afternoon
John had thought the idea a bad one to start with, sneaking down to his parent in laws summer house to spring a surprise birthday party for his wife Michelle. Jayne, his mother in law was persuasive enough and in the end he finally cracked and agreed to go down and help with the setting up. John had worried about an excuse for the last month and finally managed to settle on the age old favourite of a business meeting out of town. Michelle had seen through it instantly, and he spilled the beans on the birthday surprise.
He pulled up outside the two storey house, the sun had burnt off all the clouds leaving a deep blue sky and a cooling breeze carried the sound of the sea that lay just over a hill behind the house. John stood in the drive way eyes closed a faint smile on his lips, his nostrils flared as he took a deep breath of the fresh sea air. He walked slowly to the front door a canvas hold all in one hand and rung the bell. "Hello John," his father in law Paul opened the door with a big smile on his face a half empty tumbler of whiskey in one hand, "So glad you could make it, the more the merrier as they say," Paul pulled the door wide and beckoned John in.
The air conditioning was running and the cool air brought goose bumps out on John's bare arms, "No one else here yet?" John asked looking around, he could see the lounge and the dining room were empty as well as the kitchen, the French doors to the back garden were open wide and even there no one moved.
Paul patted John on the back, "Jayne's on the beach at the moment and everyone else is not due till tomorrow now. Some trouble with school or work and Jayne was dealing with it, not my area of expertise." John felt a bit let down he had hoped that both Michelle's Brother and younger sister were going to be there from the get go with their own little families less pressure on the new addition to the family. "So the rest of the afternoon," Paul looked at his watch, "or at least what is left of it is ours to do with as we please." He gave John another beaming smile.
"I guess I best get my bag unpacked," John looked around once more locating the stairs.
"Too right, just head straight up and turn left and it is the room at the end," Paul gave John a slight nudge in the ribs, the ice in his glass clinking as he did so, "Michelle's old bedroom, I guess it is the newlyweds bedroom now." John smiled and gave what he hoped was not too much of a false laugh. He had been married to Michelle for just over six months, yet Paul for reasons only known to him still insisted on calling them the newlyweds. John grabbed the handle on the small canvas bag and headed up stairs while Paul stumbled, inebriated into the lounge.
"Well I'm here," John said dumping the canvas bag onto the double bed his right heel kicking out behind him pushing the door almost shut, "I hope I can keep the lie going for you," he walked the few steps to the outer wall and looked out over the back garden and beyond to the blue of the sea.
Michelle sighed down the other end of the phone, "Just make sure you do a better job than you did on me." She had caught him out the moment he had said business meeting, "don't you worry I will still act surprised when I get there on Sunday." If it was not for the tinny quality of the sound and the garbled tannoy announcement in the background it was hard to believe Michelle was thousands of miles away in North Africa.
John turned away from the window, "Your dad is already drunk," he pulled the drawer open on a tall chest and looked at an assortment of t-shirts, "and your mom is off at the beach." He closed the draw and opened the next one down.
"As long as she doesn't bring back a toy boy everything should be fine," Michelle replied, her voice bouncing along as she walked through the airport.
John paused half way through opening the draw, he had met Jayne not long after he had started dating Michelle and was pleased to find quite a striking woman which meant with any luck Michelle would age just as well. "Well lucky guy if she did." John responded. He finished opening the draw on some neatly folded bikinis.
Michelle laughed, she had known her mom was attractive as every boyfriend she dated always at some point would comment on it, "I best not come down there and find out your my mom's toy boy."
John laughed back, "Guess what I'm holding?" He rested his mobile on his shoulder and pushed his head to one side holding it in place, his hands went into the draw and pulled out a day glow pink bikini top, "A rather fetching bikini top, nice cup size too."
"You want a real treat? Try the draw underneath," John put the bikini top back closed the draw and opened the next one. It was a mess of panties and bras, he reached in and pulled out the first thing he could a pair of cotton knickers red with pink hearts. "Find anything you like?" Michelle asked playfully.